Bring your intentions to life with mala beads

1,657 Comments

Hi Sweet Friends,

Some people tie a string around their finger as a reminder. I wear a mala. It’s my spiritual forget-me-not. A tap on the shoulder throughout the day, encouraging me to pause, breathe and come back to my deepest intentions. They motivate me to invest in moments of self-care and compassion. So when Tiny Devotions’ Founder, Diana Charabin emailed to ask if I wanted to design two special malas, I jumped at the chance!

If you’d like to check out these malas directly, find the ‘I am resilient’ mala here.

Before I get to our creations, and their unique meanings, I wanted to share some background on malas with you. And since Diana is my resident mala expert, I connected with her to get the scoop on what makes malas so special and how you can use them in your everyday life.

Me: What are mala beads?

Diana: For those of you who don’t know, mala beads (also known as worry beads or prayer beads) are meditation garlands that have been worn for thousands of years in traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, yoga and meditation. Whether or not they’re tied to your religion is totally up to you. Mala beads are usually used for japa meditation. During japa meditation you would recite a positive affirmation or mantra along each bead. This practice can help you achieve a more calming, connected and spiritual state.

Typical garlands contain 108 beads made from gemstones, wood or Rudruksha seeds that match your intention or affirmation. Malas love attention, so placing them around your neck, on your altar or running them through your fingertips daily, keeps them (and you!) vibrationally tuned. They’re a constant reminder that you are not alone, that you are powerful, complete and that everything is possible.

Me: How do I set an intention?

Diana: Setting an intention is important to align your beads with purpose and ground you for success. One common blockage I’ve seen people struggle with when choosing mala beads is figuring out what their dream or intention should be.

When in doubt, ask yourself :

What do I want?

If you cannot answer this, ask yourself: What do I not want?

Once you’ve narrowed it down, infusing your beads is as simple as focusing on your intention with beads in hand. Whenever you stray or waiver, simply pick up your mala and take a moment or two to realign with your desire.

Thanks, Diana!

What’s the story behind the Crazy Sexy Malas?

In order to design my one-of-a-kind mala beads for you, I spent a lot of time thinking about the intentions that guide me each day. The combination of stones I picked aligned with the principles that have supported me most during my Crazy Sexy journey.

I am resilient (turquoise)

The intention behind this mala is to nurture your innate ability to heal and thrive. It was designed to be a reminder that you are your own best friend and have strength beyond measure. We get bumped, bruised and tossed around a lot as life navigators. This mala is meant to be a touchstone during those times—it’s available to cheer you on and to remind you that you have a vast well of inner resources!

Stone meanings:

Turquoise represents healing & protection

Black Onyx represents strength

Rose Quartz represent love

I am love (fuschia)

The intention behind this mala is to reinforce the sacred practice of loving and caring for yourself so that you can be the person you’re meant to be in the world. This mala was designed to center and calm you when you’re feeling unbalanced or overwhelmed. And it was crafted to ground you in the infinite power of the love that comes from within.

1,657 Responses…

My one intention today would be to accept myself with pure love and know that I am enough. (I already like your fb page and have been signed up to your newsletter)
Thank you
Xoxoxo
Love from Nova Scotia,Canada

My one intention today is to have total trust that the universe has my back and that I am exactly where I need to be right now. I love the Mala Beads you designed, I’ve been a fan of Tiny Devotions for awhile and I’m so excited about the ones you created!

Kris, Love you and love your site. You are truly an inspiration to me. My intention for today is to laugh more. I have been disappointed in the past few giveaways as there are steps that need to happen on Facebook or Twitter. One of the ways I choose to keep myself healthy and stress free is to not “do” Facebook, twitter, and other social sites. I have had some bad experiences in my life that I am healing from due to Facebook and part of my healing process is to leave them out of my life. With that said, maybe next month’s giveaway can involve just e-mailing, or entering via your website. I can’t participate in FB giveaways. 🙁
Love, Joy and Hugs

I agree, Jennifer. I haven’t participated in Facebook in a couple of years, and I feel so much better. All that busy-ness and “liking” and being exposed to conversations you don’t want to have! Much more peaceful to stay out of it.

So I can’t participate in the giveaways, either. It’s OK, but if there were a non-FB one, I’d definitely take part.

One intention that I can set today is “Be in the Present Moment”. I think so much can be attained just by being present, and breathing. So many intentions can be set when we are paying attention to ourselves just one minute at a time.

My one intention today is instead of trying to take on the whole enchilada, chunk them into bite sized pieces. Take one bite at a time and before i know it, I will have accomplished my massive to do list. Big Love, Kris!

My intention today is to be loving and accepting of everyone in my life, including myself. To be more gentle with myself and my loved ones! I already “like” you on FB and get your newsletter! Thank you for the incredible knowledge and inspiration you give us every week, life changing.
Love, Lynsey from Ontario, Canada

Wow! So many of your posts resonate with me but this one especially…I find it so easy to forget my good intentions during the chaos of the day sometimes and wearing these mala beads would be such a powerful way to remember my body’s ability to heal and my heart’s ability to love. Kris-these beads are beautiful and the messages are so thoughtful! Thank you for sharing! You inspire me to be me!! And that’s my intention…to love & accept myself enough to be me in all ways! Much love & gratitude & green juice to you!! Shannon 🙂

My intention is trust. Trust myself to know what I want and where I want to go and trust that I will see the signs that are there to guide me. I’ve been signed up of the newsletter for a while. I will be making sure that I like you on Facebook too!

My Intention for today, is to trust that the universe will take care of everything I need. I only have to be present and fulfill my passion, be compassionate and the rest will be taken care of. I have everything I need.

Hi Kris,
Because ‘gratitude is the key to everything,’ I would like to set an intention to continue my practice of gratitude. I want to feel appreciative of it all, even the hard stuff…
May I feel real gratitude flowing through my body. May I accept and love every moment through and through.
Thank you for all you do for all of us that need guidance.
Namaste!
Yae
PS (I liked your fb page and signed up to your newsletter after the Hay House Webinar)